Tips For Planting A Fall Garden | ~Texas Homesteader~

by Texas Homesteader ~

Planting a fall garden is a rewarding way to extend your vegetable garden’s growing season. With cooler weather & fewer pests, it promises to be a more enjoyable experience as well.

You’ve enjoyed the spring garden, and you’ve harvested from your summer garden too. But you can extend your harvest more if you plan for and plant a fall garden!

Benefits of a Fall Garden

There are several benefits of planting a fall garden. Here in Texas and most other locations those benefits include:

Extend The Growing Season

Fewer Pest Problems

Cooler Temperatures

More Rainfall

I mean, it’s so much more pleasant tending a garden after that blast of summer heat has abated. And better rainfall is a big bonus too!

Choosing The Right Vegetables

Your fall garden crop planting decisions will depend upon your growing season. But it’s best to stack the odds in your favor by choosing: (most from seed to table in 90 days or less)

Cold-season vegetables – Carrots, lettuce, spinach, beets, radish, kale, peas, garlic, onions, cabbage, etc.

Quick-Maturing Crops – Including cucumber, pole beans, spinach, radish, etc.

Preparing Your Garden For Fall Planting

Clean Out Summer Plants

After the harvest is done for the summer and the plants are spent, now’s the time to pull them out and prepare for your next planting for fall.

I like to remove spent plants (which have no pests or disease) and place them in my *Tumbling Composter. They’ll add value to next year’s garden!

Amending The Soil For Replanting

Now it’s time to refresh the soil to give your seeds or transplants the healthiest start possible.

In my garden I plant in both in-ground as well as raised beds.

Since I used a Hügelkultur method for filling my raised beds, the soil needs to be topped off each year as the soil level drops.

After the plants have been removed I’ll scrape back the Straw Mulch I’d used over the summer and then amend the soil. I sometimes buy raised bed soil mix to top it off and then also mix in plenty of Homemade Compost.

NOTE: For those asking about my raised beds – YES I love them! And I love the bench seat option for ease of working the beds. You might read my thoughts about This Raised Bed before you opt for those cheaper flimsy versions out there these days. Spend wisely!

The Hopkins folks have even allowed me to offer our readers a Discount Coupon Code. To you from me – Enjoy!

Planning & Layout

Just like your spring planning, you’ll want to plan your fall garden based on the shift in the sunshine, rotational planting, etc.

I use a spreadsheet that I’ve formatted for my garden to track plantings.

NOTE: The photo above is an example of my own garden’s layout on an Excel spreadsheet. Your garden layout will be different.

Some options to consider for your own garden planning:

*Spreadsheet Software

*Garden Planner Notebook

*Downloadable Garden Planner

*Clyde’s Garden Planner

Planting Your Fall Garden

Armed with your fall garden’s planting plan it’s time to get your garden planted for the cooler fall months.

Planting Dates – These dates vary based on your hardiness zone. You can Find Your Hardiness Zone Here.

Watering & Mulching – Once your seeds or transplants are placed in the garden you’ll want to mulch them to protect them from the last of the summer heat and make sure to keep them watered until they get a good enough root system to go longer between waterings.

Protecting Garden Plants From Frost – To extend your garden season most effectively, have a plan for protecting your precious vegetable plants from unexpected frost.

You don’t want all your hard work undone by a rogue early frost! Get prepared now. Check out this list of steps I take to successfully Protect Plants From Frost.

Recipes Using Fall Vegetables

Now that you’ve planted your fall garden it’s time to dream about those healthy veggies that will be adorning your dinner table soon. Here are a few of our favorites:

Sauteed Garden Vegetables